The Florida State Department of Education main financial aid program is the Bright Futures Scholarship Program.
Other special grant and scholarship funds supplement Bright Futures, but this is the main focus of higher education funding in the state.
There is no separate state loan program in Florida.
But there are these student loan forgiveness programs for federal loans:
Critical Teacher Shortage Student Loan Forgiveness Program
Critical Teacher Shortage Tuition Reimbursement Program
The Florida State Department of Education used to originate and service Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) loans, but this program has been canceled. All federal student loans are now directly borrowed from the federal government without any involvement by the Florida State Department of Education. And there are no front or backend benefits added for residents by the state.
Many schools in the Florida University system also have their own
university student loans
. For instance, the USF University of South Florida Loan Program is a need-based loan. It is interest free until repayment begins, when the interest rate is 5%. Repayment begins nine months after graduation.
Similarly, the
University of Florida
has 104 different loan funds upon which to draw for different kinds of college loans for their students.
These loans, as well as Florida college grants, require you to file a FAFSA, so check your Florida FAFSA deadline.
Florida Grants and Scholarships
Many Florida grants are decentralized state programs- which means that eligibility and award amounts are set by the individual schools (although minimum qualifications are established by the Florida State Department of Education). Some of these are:
The Florida Student Assistance Grant Program (FSAG)- a need-based program in which awards range from $200- $2,069 per year
The Florida Resident Assistance Grant Program (FRAG)- awards up to $2,529 per year
The First Generation Matching Grant Program (FGMG)- need-based, for students whose parents do not have college degrees
Florida Public Postsecondary Career Education Student Assistance Grant (FSAG-CE)- for community and career colleges, awards $200- $2,069 per year
The José Martí Scholarship Challenge Grant Fund need-based, for Hispanic descent, variable number of $2,000 awards
Florida scholarships have a merit-based component both for initial funding and for retention.
The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program- three lottery-funded scholarship programs- Award amounts based on credit hour for colleges or clock hour for tech schools.
Beginning with the 2011-2012 school year, all Bright Futures scholarship recipients must file their FAFSA, or they will not get their awards.
The Mary McLeod Bethune Scholarship (MMB)- schools determine award recipients; $3,000 awards
The Rosewood Family Scholarship Program- 25 awards for direct descendants of Rosewood families- prorated, not to exceed $4,000
The Scholarships for Children and Spouses of Deceased or Disabled Veterans and Servicemembers (CSDDV)- awards based on credit or clock hour
The Florida State Department of Education also oversees a program which uses merit-based criteria to establish priorities for need-based aid. The Talented Twenty Program gives the top academic 20% in each high school an automatic admission to a state university and priority funding from the Florida Student Assistance Grant (FSAG).
The state of Florida concentrates most of its financial aid efforts on its Bright Futures Scholarship Program. Students who meet minimum academic requirements are awarded an amount equal to 100% or 75% of a Florida public institution’s tuition and fees (about $2300 per year).
Florida State Department of Education Office of Student Financial Assistance Suite 70 1940 North Monroe Street Tallahassee, FL 32303-4759 Phone: (850) 410-5180 Toll-Free: (888) 827-2004 Toll-Free Restrictions: FL residents only Fax: (850) 487-1809